Incremental progress in female representation in the UK energy sector is not enough, especially at the top. That’s the clear message from the Annual State of the Nation Report 2025, launched this week by POWERful Women (PfW) in collaboration with Bain & Company.
The report benchmarks gender representation across the top 100 UK energy employers (combined workforce: 230,000+), showing slow but steady gains in middle management while significant gaps persist in senior leadership:
- 30% of board roles held by women (up from 29% in 2024)
- 16% of Executive Director roles, up from 15%
- 34% of leadership roles remained unchanged
- 34% of middle management roles, up from 32%—the most notable increase
Yet, 15 companies still have no female board members, and 73% of boards lack a single female Executive Director. Women remain rare at the very top—just 8% of CEOs and 9% of Board Chairs are women. “It is disappointing to see no progress on women in energy leadership,” said Monica Collings, Chair of POWERful Women. “But it’s encouraging to see a rise in middle management, which may signal a future pipeline. Companies must act decisively—now.” “To achieve net zero, we must attract new talent and build inclusive workplaces that reflect the communities we serve. With just five years left to reach our 40% target for leadership and middle management, it’s time to intensify efforts.”
The UK energy sector lags behind the FTSE 350, which already met its 40% women-on-boards target. Unless every company adds at least one woman to its board in the next six months, the sector won’t catch up. Still, some movement is evident: five of nine female Board Chairs, three of eight female CEOs, and eight of 13 female CFOs were appointed within the past two years. Twenty boards added at least one woman in the last year, while only seven removed one or more.
One standout is NextEnergy Solar Fund, which leads the sector with 80% female board representation—a benchmark for what’s possible through focused leadership.
The report highlights clear trends:
- Large companies (2,000+ employees) average 32% board representation, ahead of medium (30%) and small companies (28%).
- Out of 31 companies achieving 40% target, 13 (42%) are Oil & Gas, 9 (29%) are Power & Utilities, and 9 (29%) are Alternative and Renewable.
- European-headquartered companies outperform UK and APAC peers, likely due to regulatory momentum, including the EU Gender Balance on Corporate Boards
- Legacy sectors lag furthest: Infrastructure & Distribution (24%) and Energy Financial & Investment Services (25%) have the lowest female board representation, hindered by cultural inertia and low turnover.
“We need to be tapping into all pools of talent to meet net zero and address the green skills gap,” said Olga Muscat, partner at Bain & Company. “This year’s statistics are a clear call to action.”
At the launch, Cordi O’Hara, President of National Grid Electricity Distribution, shared progress driven by structural reform: “We are one of the nine companies with a female chair. Four of our six divisional presidents are women, and we’ve reached parity in our top 120.” She emphasized that inclusive hiring, culture-building, and mentoring are core to this progress: “We’ve been very intentional—diverse hiring panels, employee resource groups, mentoring. Culture is critical. The progression and retention challenge is real.”
Elliott Rae, founder of Parenting Out Loud, addressed the systemic barriers working mothers face: “In the UK, 80% of the 13.1% gender pay gap is due to the motherhood penalty. Mothers with two or more children are 40% more stressed than any other group. And 74,000 women lose their jobs annually due to maternal discrimination.” Rae called for broader cultural change that includes fathers: “Many dads want to work flexibly and be fully involved parents. But outdated norms still dominate. Equal parenting helps everyone.”
Sarah Jones, MP, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade, outlined government actions: “We’re strengthening equality laws through the Employment Rights Bill, requiring action plans with gender pay gap reports. We’re also reviewing the parental leave system.” She announced a new clean energy workforce strategy launching this summer: “It puts social inclusion at the heart of recruitment, retention, and progression. From improving data collection to ensuring inclusive job adverts—this strategy will help create a modern energy workforce that uses all our brilliant female talent.”
Despite ongoing barriers, the message from the report and event was clear: gender balance is within reach, but only if companies take urgent and deliberate action. According to POWERful Women, the sector must add five women to leadership teams and 38 women to middle management, per company, by 2030 to meet the 40% target.
As Monica Collings noted, “By showcasing good practices from companies that are already leading the way, we can spark a transformative shift across the industry.”
The energy transition requires innovation, resilience, and inclusion. The report is both a warning and a roadmap. The path to gender balance is possible—but not guaranteed. It will take leadership, measurable action, and a shift in culture. And as many panelists made clear, that change must start now. For the UK energy sector to remain competitive, innovative, and sustainable, it must stop leaving half its talent on the sidelines. The energy transition won’t succeed unless it includes everyone.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine.
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